Ufc Superstars
Before he took the UFC heavyweight division by storm, Brock Lesnar made his name in WWE. He’s a 4-time WWE champion and the youngest person to win the WWE belt, defeating Dwanye. Other wrestlers to have won world championships in both MMA and Pro Wrestling include Bobby Lashley (Shark Fights Heavyweight Championship as well as the Impact Global Championship), and UFC Hall of Famers Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock, who won the UFC.
The UFC handed out four $50,000 bonuses Saturday at UFC Fight Night 185 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
UFC officials announced the winners following the event. Check out the winners below.
Performance of the Night: Derrick Lewis
(Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Derrick Lewis (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) delivered a “Knockout of the Year” contender and secured a second-round finish of Curtis Blaydes with a vicious uppercut in the headliner. With that, Lewis’ unbeaten run was extended to four consecutive fights.
Performance of the Night: Chris Daukaus
(Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Chris Daukaus thwarted Aleksei Oleinik’s grappling attempts, and it set up a quick win for him. Daukaus (11-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) earned a third consecutive first-round finish to start his UFC tenure Saturday when he landed heavy shots on Oleinik to force a standing TKO stoppage.
Performance of the Night: Tom Aspinall
(Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Tom Aspinall continued to show why he might be the next big thing at heavyweight. Aspinall (10-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) defeated former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski by submission with a rear-naked choke at 1:09 of the second round.
Performance of the Night: Aiemann Zahabi
(Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Aiemann Zahabi returned to the win column for the first time in nearly four years. Zahabi (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who has dealt with losses and injury layoffs over the past few years, scored a brutal one-punch knockout of Drako Rodriguez (7-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in their matchup.
Could Israel Adesanya be poised to take over as the UFC’s next big thing?
Adesanya, the reigning UFC middleweight champion, is already one of the most recognizable names in mixed martial arts. His star status could reach another level Saturday when he attempts to take the light heavyweight title from Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ pay-per-view).
A victory in the headliner would make Adesanya the fifth simultaneous two-division champ in UFC history, joining the likes of Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Henry Cejudo. Adesanya, however, would be the first among that elite group to do it with an undefeated record. He’s currently 20-0 overall and 9-0 since making his UFC debut in February 2018 – and he’s done it with style.
That type of in-cage success, mixed with Adesanya’s unique personality and life story as a Nigerian-born fighter from New Zealand, makes him a talent with potential to be bigger than just fighting.
“I really believe he has the ability to be MMA’s next major crossover star,” Adesanya’s manager, Tim Simpson of Paradigm Sports, said of Adesanya. “There was Ronda Rousey, who crossed over to a certain degree. There’s Conor McGregor, who transcended the sport and is one of the biggest celebrities on planet earth – not just in MMA. And I think Israel has all the potential to do the exact same.
“He can be anything he wants to be. Megastar, Forbes (highest-paid athletes) list, movies. He’s got the athletic ability, the personality and the drive to match.”
Adesanya agrees that’s the direction his life and career are headed, a place where he’ll be equal to the biggest mainstream names to ever compete in the UFC.
It’s not exactly something he’s comfortable with, but Adesanya is learning to be. If he wants to maximize this moment in his life, it’s all part of the package.
“It’s inevitable,” Adesanya told MMA Junkie at Thursday’s UFC 259 press conference. “I just have to get used to it. I just have to accept it and not hide from the role that I’m in and not hide from the platform that I’m on, because a lot of people get to this spot and just start to like … I’ve been here, and I’m like, ‘Sh*t.’ Like Kayne West said: Y’all can have it back. But I just accept it. It is what it is. I have what I have, so I just accept it.”
Adesanya’s brand already has started to attract widespread appeal. According to his manager, there is heavy interest in supporting what “The Last Stylebender” brings to the table, and it could just be the tip of the iceberg.
“Israel’s commercial landscape is very, very healthy at the moment,” Simpson said. “We have deals with a lot of major, blue-chip companies in the form of PUMA, My Protein, BMW, Kill Cliff Energy, EA Sports. Commercially he is hugely successful, and that’s credit to his performances not only as an athlete, but his big personality and really strong brand.”
Mma Superstars
Dana White has seen all types of fighters come and go through his history as UFC presdient. Some have exceeded expectations, others have fizzled out well short of their potential. When it comes to Adesanya, though, even White can’t deny his potential.
Mma Wrestlers
“If he keeps doing what he’s doing and continues to win and breaks records and things like that, like he said, it’s inevitable (he’ll be a superstar),” White said.